" A Living Branch "

First Reading Acts 9:26-31

When he arrived in Jerusalem  he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists, but they tried to kill him. And when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus. The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the holy Spirit it grew in numbers.

Resp. Psalm: Psalms 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32

Second Reading: 1John 3:18-24

Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.  (Now) this is how we shall know that we  belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Beloved, if (our) hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us.

Gospel: John 15:1-8

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.


Reflection

By Theresa Ballo

Are you familiar on the accounts that happened next when Jesus showed Himself to the apostles after rising from the dead?

I believe He now lives IN His people. He lives with us, in us. Jesus is present in every person in some way but His presence is extra special within His own disciples, those who accepted Him as their Lord.

Just like Paul who had a change of heart, thousands of Jews who ignored and ridiculed Jesus were the ones who became His followers and ardent admirers. A drastic change of ways may seem confusing for some people. Can you imagine if Paul became an ordinary person in today’s world?

There are people around us who chose to change for the better, felt God’s enormous love and mercy that drove them up to the point of laying all their defenses down to seek more of Jesus in their lives. And yet others looked at their past and are cautious of their “tendencies to repeat what they did wrong in the past”. Paul proved them wrong by expressing himself in loving deeds when they doubt his words.

Today’s Gospel speaks of the relationship of Jesus with the Father as well as Jesus’ relationship with us. A relationship He compares to a vine grower, a vine and its branches.

Why did Jesus use the metaphor of the vine and the branches to describe His relationship with His followers? What is that fruit Jesus spoke of?

The second reading, which is from the First Letter of John, states that the fruit Jesus spoke of is love, a call to love not just in words, not even in the most exquisitely-sounding prayers but rather love in deed and in truth.

Only in loving can we say that Jesus lives in us. Cliché’ as it is, since elementary, I am hearing religion teachers and Church leaders ask the question, “Do other people see Jesus in us?” If other people can feel Jesus’ love through us, only then we can say we have experience His love.

One important lesson I learned in life is that, no matter how I try to become a good person, bad things will still happen. Still, God loves me, whether I am good or bad. I used to believe that if I am good then God will love me. I am good because God’s love and goodness is acting within me and through me. 

It is the image of the vine and its branches that Jesus used in today’s Gospel to encourage us that it is only when we are connected to Him that we can grow and achieve what matters most.

Having to live the ordinary comforts of life and the possession of some of this world’s goods is not all wrong, but the natural temptation is to get more and more of these comforts and riches until we become slaves of these worldly things. Recently, I joined a “yuppies” (young professionals) support group that meets every Monday to talk about the presence and work of God in one another’s work, career, family and love life. It is so common in our struggles the intention of knowing our purpose in life, where God want us to be and how should we place ourselves in a fast-changing society.

It is indeed hard to swim against the current. It is so much more pleasant and easy to allow oneself to be carried along by the rushing tide. But when there are rocks ahead, one may end in grief or an incessant swim along the vast ocean. Jesus has warned us today, to abide in Him, to remain closely united with Him, like the branch to the vine, if we hope to bear fruit worthy of heaven. Pruning may be necessary to purify us, to bear more fruit, to give greater glory to God and be worthy disciples of Christ.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, give us the grace to overcome the allurements of the world. Bestow upon us the courage to continue after every pruning. Send us Your Holy Spirit as we struggle to remain healthy branches of the vine. Inflame our hearts with Your love and remove from it anything that would make us unfruitful in loving and serving You. Amen.